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| Mayerling - 1968 |
Coming up next we have 1968's "Mayerling", a remake of the 1936 film of the same name in which we are treated to a lavish fictionalized telling of the love story of Archduke Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, and Baroness Maria Vetsera.
The film's cast includes Omar Sharif, Catherine Deneuve, James Mason, Ava Gardner, James Robertson Justice, Genevieve Page, Andrea Parisy, Ivan Desny, and Friedrich von Ledebur.
Our story begins with Archduke Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, being unknowingly arrested for taking part in some student demonstrations in Vienna.
His father, Emperor Franz Josef, urges Rudolf to find happiness in his duties and in his marriage to his wife, Stephanie. Rudolf and his father have long been at odds. "What is this wall between us?" asks Franz Josef. Rudolf replies, "You'd know. You built it. Tear it down, Father."
Rudolf's married life is far from ideal. His outbursts of temper are very trying to his wife, Stephanie, who struggles to find a foothold with the Austrian court, always being overshadowed by her mother-in-law, the dazzling Empress Elisabeth.
His unhappiness with life causes him to rush into a world of prostitutes, gypsy dancers, and morphine addiction.
He is also very heavily involved in a secret plot which will overthrow his father as ruler of Hungary, to be replaced by himself.
On an evening out, Rudolf meets a young woman. The two don't share their identities with each other. They have a wonderful time dancing, chatting, and enjoying the atmosphere around them.
Rudolf's real happiness comes whenever he gets the chance to see his mother, Empress Elisabeth. The empress is seldom at court, and her son relishes any chance he can to talk with his beautiful mother.
Among Rudolf's duties is welcoming his friend the Prince of Wales on a visit to Austria and showing him the red carpet treatment. "Incidentally, why are they always red carpets?" asks the prince. "Stations make fine places for assassinations. On red carpets, the blood doesn't show," jokes Rudolf.
At a gala ballet performance (also attended by his gossipy cousin Countess Larisch), Rudolf is bored to tears by his court life.
That is until he spies a familiar face in the audience: the mysterious young woman with whom he had chatted and spent such a happy time a few days previously.
We find out that she is Baroness Maria Vetsera, and she and Rudolf cannot take their eyes off of each other.
With the help of Countess Larisch, Maria successfully deceives her mother and is able to find her way to Rudolf's apartments.
The two dive into a passionate affair. Rudolf finds in her a very calming presence and feels that he is a great deal better when she is near.
Of course, Emperor Franz Josef finds out about the affair and offers Rudolf a position with the army which will take him away for extended periods of time. Rudolf, not knowing his father has engineered this because of the affair, is overjoyed at the chance of having something useful to do.
However, he still manages to break away from his duties to spend time with Maria.
Eventually, Maria's mother is made aware of her affair and orders her daughter away from Vienna to visit relatives in Venice.
In Maria's absence, Rudolf becomes deeply depressed and resorts increasingly to drunkenness and violent behavior.
Rudolf, we also find out, has petitioned the Pope for an annulment of his marriage. In communicating with the Holy Father, he went behind his father's back. The emperor tells Rudolf that the Pope has denied his request.
Maria returns to Vienna, and the two are more inseparable than ever. He even takes her on a getaway to his hunting lodge at Mayerling.
By chance one day, Maria meets Empress Elisabeth, who asks after her son. "Poor Rudolf.
He wasn’t meant for this life they make him lead. I often wonder if anybody was," says a melancholy empress.
At a court ball, Rudolf sets tongues to wagging when he opens the dancing with Maria. However, the majority of eyes are on the empress, who rarely attends events like this. Proud of his wife, the emperor says of the guests, "They’re longing to rush home and tell all their
friends they’ve just seen the world’s most beautiful
empress." The empress smiles and says, "There're not that many of us left."
However, Rudolf's wife Stephanie is not happy about Maria's appearance at the ball. The emperor tells her to remain calm and remember that she's an Archduchess of Austria.
Rudolf even has the audacity to present Maria to his parents, who are reserved yet kind, even though the emperor has maneuvered to separate the two of them once and for all.
Late that night, Empress Elisabeth cautions her son and tells him of her fears for him. She also mentions that with the madness prevalent in the family, anything can happen.
Rudolf is further dismayed when the planned coup to oust his father from ruling Hungary is exposed, and the emperor knows all.
He makes a suicide pact with Maria and the two of them spend their final moments together at Mayerling, where they had previously spent some carefree days.
Cast rundown:
Omar Sharif.......................................Archduke Rudolf
Catherine Deneuve.............................Maria Vetsera
James Mason.....................................Emperor Franz Josef
Ava Gardner.......................................Empress Elisabeth
James Robertson Justice......................Prince of Wales
Genevieve Page..................................Countess Larisch
Andrea Parisy.....................................Archduchess Stephanie
Ivan Desny........................................Count Hoyos
Friedrich von Ledebur..........................Hofmarschall
And that's it for Mayerling. I much preferred the French version to the English version. This film details more of Rudolf's plot to have his father removed from the Hungarian throne. It also shows his dependency on drugs. More of Rudolf's relationship with his mother, Empress Elisabeth, is also shown in this film. Ava Gardner was only nine years older than Omar Sharif, who played her son in the film.
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